Tuesday, September 6, 2016

The Small Apartment Problem

Austin renters are much more likely than homeowners to be short on space, Culturemap reports.

Trulia examined the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey to see where there were more family members than bedrooms. Trulia assumed that married couples need one bedroom and non-married adults and children need one bedroom per person. Households with more non-married adults and children than bedrooms were considered to have a “space crunch”.

Nationally, 26.4% of renting households experience this space crunch, while just 8.1% of households who own their residences experience it. Locally, 13.2% of Austin-Round Rock metro residents are short on space in contrast to just 7.3% of Austin homeowners.

Are you one of the renters in the “bunk bed generation” as Trulia calls it? Clever space saving solutions can help your family survive living in a small apartment.

Do you have two kids who have to share a room? A great way to give them each their own space is to divide the room using a bookcase. Another option for dividing the room which requires virtually no floor space is a curtain. If your kids don’t mind sharing the room, but you need more space for them to play, a bunk bed or lofted bed for little children are great solutions. You can even add a trundle for a third child or occasional sleepovers.

If you work from home, it can be difficult to find space for a home office in a small apartment. Think outside the box by placing a long table behind the couch in the living room. Another option is to place all your office needs on a rolling cart or filing cabinet in the dining room. By day your dining room table becomes an office and by night it is transformed back into a place to eat. Other unconventional possible office spaces include a closet, an armoire, or the space under the stairs if you have open stairs in your townhome or loft.

Looking for an apartment to save you from the space crunch? Give A Plus Apartments a call today at 512-222-5383 to take advantage of our expert apartment locators and their up-to-the-minute knowledge of rent, vacancies and move-in specials at all the best apartments in Austin!